Establishing Healthy Boundaries

As we learn about ourselves and work to heal our mental health issues and addictions, we come to realize that in order to have healthy relationships with other people, we have to be able to create and maintain boundaries for ourselves. We often find it difficult to assert ourselves and vocalize what we need. It can take us years to understand ourselves more fully and to get to the point where we are confident and comfortable enough with ourselves to be clear on what our needs are. It is an ongoing process to learn who we are and what we need, and to communicate those needs with the people in our lives. Establishing healthy boundaries is an important element in our recovery and ongoing self-care.

Many of us spend years of our lives depressed, struggling with our addictive behaviors, and in crisis. As we move through these difficult experiences, we are learning valuable lessons about ourselves, our lives, and what we need in order to be happy and healthy.

When we’ve been in relationships that are codependent, toxic and/or abusive, we can go on to learn from them and work to understand the ways in which we didn’t create healthy boundaries for ourselves in the past. We can use this information to help ourselves begin to establish better boundaries in our relationships moving forward.

When we create healthy boundaries for ourselves, we are prioritizing both self-respect and respect for the other person. We are telling ourselves and each other that we matter, that our voices matter, that our needs matter. Healing after being in unhealthy relationships requires finding your voice and mustering the courage to use it. It can be intimidating and even scary to stand up for ourselves and prioritize our needs, especially when we’ve experienced abuse. Every time we make the choice to do so, we are building our self-respect and self-love. We are healing our relationship with ourselves little by little.

Healing and recovery entail soul searching, which can be hard to do because for years we’ve been burying our fears and pain under our addictive relationships, behaviors and thought patterns. As we get to know ourselves on a deeper level, we begin more and more to prioritize health and inner peace, make healthier decisions for ourselves and have healthier relationships. When we work to set boundaries for ourselves, we are choosing to be self-protective rather than self-destructive. We are affirming ourselves and shedding years of self-sabotaging behavior. We are recovering.

Vista Taos is a nationally-accredited, family-owned substance abuse treatment center that offers individuals, who are suffering from addiction, a clear path to recovery by providing a comprehensive Medical, Psychological and Spiritual approach. Privacy Policy